Microneedling is a process that brings out the facial beauty. The technique is more than just perforating the skin indiscriminately; you have to execute with appropriate guidance that your facial skin would appreciate later.

Still, do not think we are joking when we say hundreds of needles will puncture your face (like in the case of cosmetic acupuncture) – it is true! And it is worth the effort if you ever think of the final result: a radiant face and the health benefits are inbound.

Will microneedling be painful? Is it worthwhile?

It is worth it, we guarantee you. And it is not as painful as having an average-looking face when you can transform your facial beauty by doing this right – even at home with a derma roller. Get into microneedling – a beneficial routine to achieve an adorable skin; but, how do you go about the process?

You have heard it a hundred times that it helps to prevent aging of the skin and solves acne problems. You have heard everything except the perfect process of microneedling at home, a.k.a. dermarolling in this case, and other useful details.

Well, microneedling is simple, and the way to fashion out the best is a few scrolls down this page. We will guide you on how to perform a session of microneedling at home. What is dermarolling compared to microneedling? How does it work? What are the benefits? In fact, all the things you will want to know about this magical-sounding facial treatment will be discussed in detail.

5 Best Derma Rollers to Try Microneedling At Home

If you have decided to go the DIY route and try microneedling at home, here we present 5 of the best derma rollers to get for your beauty session!

1. ORA Microneedle Face & Full Body Kit

For your facial treatment, this is the right tool for an easy therapy. The result is encouraging. The kit is one box to get everything you need for a firm, fresh and healthy facial skin. The derma roller consists of fine titanium needles and you can use it for another part of the body. The result never changes from being the best. You can get this dermarolling kit from Dermstore.

2. ORA Electric Dermapen System

For the signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines, here is something to bring back your fresh skin and return it fresher. With an adjustable needle head, this dermapen is one like no other, as you get a better penetration with its built-in vibration mechanism. And the strokes are more accurate than most derma rollers on the market. Pick it up from Dermstore!

3. ORA Microneedle Body Roller System 0.5mm – White/Aqua

With tons of 0.5 mm stainless steel needles, this body roller is the best for painless skin treatments. The needles glide on the skin like a knife would between walls of butter. The collagen would be triggered immensely, just as the punctures appear easily. If you go with this derma roller, we can judge you are using it because of the overall changes in your skin tone. It’s available at Dermstore.

4. Beauty Bioscience GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration Tool

We know the way to get a radiant skin is no magic; it is using the right tool like this derma roller, available at Nordstrom. For a smoother, firmer and fresher skin, this is the tool to use. It starts by rejuvenating the skin cells and with its 0.2 mm rollers, you can be sure it would trigger collagen and elastin, and stimulate the natural healing process – instantly.

It is unrealistic to make a hundred tiny holes on your face, when you can do more, and faster. Here is a tool with 0.25 mm needles that promises more than 500 tiny holes. Painless to use, it will change the tone of your skin and the texture to exactly what you desire – in minutes. Get yourself this deluxe derma roller from Dermstore!

What Is Microneedling?

Microneedling is the technique of using a needle-end tool – a dermapen or a derma roller – to puncture many tiny holes on the skin to enhance its beauty. The depth of the pen into the skin can go as long as 2 mm and the process falls under Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT). A dermapen has a pointed end that makes CIT easy to achieve.

As you already know, CIT is a form of cosmetic procedure, the making of repeated holes across the skin to induce collagen.

However, it should be noted that other forms of needling could be used. Microneedling stamping devices are many. One of it is the dermaroller, which we will further discuss in this post. The most important factors are that the needle should do the work fine and should be sterile.

Microneedling is not the newest beauty trend; if we are to go back a little, it started some fifty – if not more – years ago.

How Does Microneedling Work?

The human skin is a sensitive cell that rebuilds itself after minor wounds and damages. And microneedling is one of the processes that make the skin exercise such cell-building abilities.

During the process, a professional would use a dermapen – or any other tool for the same purpose – on your skin. The tool would be used on an area of your skin for 20-30 minutes, and tiny holes would be created on the surface – and the creation is painless.

The aim of microneedling is to use the tool, a platelet-rich plasma, to charge the skin with collagen. Collagen is a structural protein necessary for skin growth. It is located in the connective tissues of the skin (ligaments and tendons). Stimulated collagen would reduce acne scars and wrinkles.

After the microneedling process, the skin would show some redness; this shows it is effective. The redness will heal after some days, and your skin will give an unexpected shiny look. In some cases, the skin would show minor bleeding and mild swelling. But after some weeks, the skin will turn out smoother and more radiant.

You should repeat the process – or, as a better option, try other skin treatments that lead to collagen stimulation so as to make the process more efficient. We will get to details soon.

Microneedling vs. Dermarolling: The Difference You Should Know

I am confused; is microneedling a form of dermarolling or jade rolling or what?

You remember when we talked about jade rollers earlier – the process and uses for skin care. Further, as we talked about microneedling, we mentioned derma rollers and dermarolling. You are confused – but let’s make this clear.

Dermarolling is done with derma rollers. The derma roller is a piece of mechanical tool with a rolling drum, a handle, and festooned surgical steel needles that are often 0.25 to 1.5 mm long. A derma roller is like a jade roller; it is rolled on the skin and has a drum but in addition, it has needles. It is rolled across the face, and the needles make perforations on the skin – more like damaging it temporarily. The results of the process on your skin will make you smile in the mirror.

For microneedling, derma rollers can also be used; when used, it is quite more painful than using a dermapen. If you use a derma roller instead of dermapen, it will dig into the skin rather than a tiny insertion that is made with a needle-end. The skin would likely tear and be wounded.

To sum it up, dermarolling is the process of microneedling at home using the derma roller, while microneedling in general is always performed at a salon using a battery-operated electric device, i.e. dermapen. While for at-home dermarolling the tool used features tiny needles, for the in-office microneedling longer needles are used to target more complex skin issues, such as wrinkles, deep acne scars or other skin damage. So the concept is the same, but the procedure and the end results are slightly different.

Dermapens or Derma Rollers: Which Should You Use in Microneedling?

The study that was presented at an Australian medical conference in 2012 compared the technology behind dermapens and derma rollers for atrophic scanning. And as you would expect, dermapens were the best choice.

According to the study, dermapens were easy to operate during the process. The scar depth was relatively lower compared to when derma rollers were used.

And that starts all we have to say about dermarolling. Derma rollers are not the perfect choice as a microneedling tool. The post-treatment erythema (skin redness) and edema (swelling) usually persist for more days when compared to dermapens.

They make the wounds more severe because they dig deeper into the skin. They do not go vertically into the skin – they tear, unlike dermapens.

But…

Derma rollers are easy to operate. For a DIY at-home microneedling, they are the best choice. They would not go deep like dermapens but indeed improve your skin texture and tone accordingly.

Dermapens, on the other hand, are aesthetician and dermatologist tools. They are not common for home use because they can only be handled by skilled hands. Experts have them in their offices or clinics and operate them with professionalism. The needles of the pen would go deeper into your skin and ensure a better result. They are the better of the two, but a derma roller is easier to operate for everyone.

Furthermore, dermapens are better with the results they bring and they help to be hygienic. The tips are disposable and can be replaced before they are used on another person. This is better than doing a manual sterilization as in derma rollers. Just replace used needles and get it working again. And the tip is tiny enough to be comfortable for use in areas around your lips and eyes.

This is what you should do to have the best experience with derma rollers:

• Choose the device with needle depth of 0.22mm, 0.25mm, or 0.3mm.

• Choose a quality device from a respected brand.

• Talk to a dermatologist to make a recommendation (or some recommendations).

The expected turn out is what is important to make the decision you make the right one. Your skin type and your dermatologist’s advice would help you achieve just that.

All the Microneedling Benefits

We will not be talking about it if it is not worthwhile. So you need microneedling to make your skin beautiful than before – but is that all? It is more than that; the microneedling benefits are more than skin beauty.

Anti-Aging Benefits

Collagen is stimulated in the skin, and elastin is produced. The collagen and elastin help the skin to improve freshness because the skin would have fewer wrinkles. Some dermatologists claim it is the best anti-aging skin treatment. Microneedling will reduce the fine lines of the skin as it reduces the number of wrinkles.

Tightening of Loose Skin

Perhaps, the reason for its anti-aging ability is because microneedling makes loose skin firmer. For older people, this is the skin treatment to make you a sensation once again. The International Journal of Dermatology makes us understand this.

Developing the Skin Healing Process

The development of the skin healing ability is another benefit of microneedling. You know the skin would be injured with minor wounds that would later heal. The skin would grow new cells. But with microneedling, the skin would develop the ability to heal and improve the amount of collagen and elastin exponentially.

Microneedling Makes Pores Shrink

You might think this puncturing of the skin would make your pores wider. But the truth is, it does not. In fact, it does the opposite. The collagen stimulated as a result of the procedure is close to the pores and makes the pores tighten up.

However, this benefit is relative to your skin type. This is because large pores are more determined by genetics than any other factor. In this case, a pore-minimizing primer can be the best call to reduce and shrink pores.

Acne Scar Treatment

We have advised you to consult a dermatologist to recommend the length of a derma roller’s needles for your particular skin. You can use microneedling to treat acne scars.

As a general rule, the deeper the scar, the longer the needle of your derma roller should be. That is why a dermatologist’s advice and their professional performance of this process would help. If you follow her (or his) advice and let her do her job, you will reduce or remove acne scars completely in no time.

Microneedling Prevents Sun Damage and Hyperpigmentation

This is another effect of collagen. Aside from reducing the number of wrinkles, microneedling will help reduce sun damage – and discoloration is a result of sun damage. With microneedling, you are killing many birds with a single stone.

Microneedling treats hyperpigmentation of the skin that may result from sun damage. Keep the derma rollers in the range of 1 to 1.5 mm and no matter how many hours you spend in the sun, this skin care activity can deal with the pigmentation or discoloration as a result.

Dermarolling Makes Every Skin Care Product Work More Effectively

And for that alone, dermarolling is worthwhile! Think about microneedling as the watering of soil before seedling; it stimulates the skin and makes it easier for all other skin treatments to be more effective.

But, how? Well, the skin gets soft due to microneedling, and skin care products will penetrate easily and faster. While puncturing the skin, the skin gains more penetration channels for the product you used to get it into your skin.

Notwithstanding, this is on two sides. Just as the skin is free to gain more skin care products, the skin is also softer and more vulnerable to harm. The layers are now red – evidence of being irritated, weak and mild. In this case, you should be careful of products to use and activities you engage in. Continue reading to see more details.

Are There Any Microneedling Side Effects You Should Know?

You want to know, and we should make you know if any side effect is associated with microneedling. What is the point if you pay more at the expense of becoming more beautiful?

And like we always say here, it is rare for something to be all positive like a procedure made out of this world.

Your cautiousness is felt. Here are possible side effects of microneedling:

• Infection

• Skin soreness

• Skin reaction

Infection

Your skin might be infected with active acne if the derma roller is not sterilized. When you are using the device, ensure the skin is free of any infection.

Infections can be prevented if you are using a dermapen. Ensure the needles at the mouth are replaced before they are used on you. And when you use a derma roller, ensure the festooned rollers are sterilized properly.

Skin Soreness

Hey, look at the tiny injuries on your skin; will it get off until tomorrow? Will it affect my skin and ruin my skin? Will it leave permanent traces when it gets healed?

The answers to all these questions are yes, no and no, respectively. Weekends are perfect for performing microneedling or dermarolling – or anytime you know you would have enough time for it to heal. A day – or two, at most – is enough for your skin to heal and be back better and shinier.

Longer needles used in the process will leave longer marks. Choose wisely or seek a dermatologist’s recommendation. This is because the needles would go deeper and leave much soreness on the skin surface. To avoid this, it is fine to choose your derma roller wisely. Use skin serums after the process to moisturize it.

Skin Reaction

For skin reaction, it is quite unpredictable how every skin would react to the use of any device. The most common reaction of the skin to microneedling is that it would turn red. However, it will be healed before the next day.

If redness persists more than a day, you have definitely used much force on your skin or the needles were too long. Either way, it will take longer to heal.

Other skin reactions are not common but we advise you to consult a dermatologist to give a recommendation that will be relative and specific to your skin type. You should do this before you start a session.

Microneedling At Home: How to Use a Derma Roller

Well, performing a microneedling session at home – by you – is achievable with the right guide. Most necessary tools are expensive except for a few, which are enough for you to choose from.

Step 1: Choosing the Right Derma Roller

• The deeper the skin defect you have, the longer the pen should be. If the skin issue is closer to the skin surface, short needles will be enough.

• Derma rollers, dermapens, or derma stamps – the best device might be the costliest. Does that mean you would not do it if you can afford it? The right device for you is the one that delivers the best results, and that is a dermapen. If you cannot afford the service at a saloon; however, go for derma rollers. We will guide you on how to use it.

• Remember: buy respected brands.

• The longer the needle, the more the penetration and the more the soreness it leaves on the skin. For home use, choose derma rollers that have needles shorter than the lengths available at a clinic. We recommend between 0.25 and 1 mm.

• Generally, you should choose needles that are short. Read the instructions on the device you are to use. Sanitize the needles, the device, and everything you will use.

• To sanitize, consider soaking the derma roller in a 70% isopropyl alcohol and leave for 10 minutes. Remove and let it dry after 10 minutes.

Step 2: Preparing Your Face for Dermarolling

• Wash your face with clean, warm water.

• Rub a numbing or lidocaine cream on your face.

• Wipe the cream if it becomes excessive.

• You cannot handle the entire face at a time. So think of how to handle the face in sides. When you are done with a side of the face, move to the next.

Step 3: Dermarolling

• Turn the device on and move in all direction, first horizontally and then vertically (but never in a star pattern). Be consistent with the direction you go for a few rolls before you switch. For instance, go vertically to and fro thrice (or more, ten times on the same spot is enough to get the desired effect on that spot) before moving the derma roller horizontally.

• After using the device, do not wash the face. The skin of the face would become red and soft, and washing can be painful.

• Leave for six to eight hours.

• Apply a vitamin serum to the skin after eight hours. You can alternatively apply any other hydrating product.

• Rinse and disinfect the device you used. You can disinfect by washing the roller drum with warm water and leaving it in rubbing alcohol for a short period of time.

And we are up. Endeavour to read the instructions on the device you are using; there might be vital information that is specific to the device.

Other Dermarolling Tips

• Be gentle with your skin as you dermaroll. If you are aggressive, it will take longer for the sore to heal; so, be gentle.

• To disinfect after use, you can use the same method of soaking in 70% isopropyl alcohol for 10 minutes.

• If you choose a dermapen or derma stamp, you will need to assemble or fix the needles yourself.

• When you want to switch the direction you are rolling to, lift the derma roller off your face before changing the direction.

• Do not use a derma roller in the area of your skin with active acne; it will get worse.

• After use, store the derma roller in its case to avoid getting dirty and infected.

• Sun exposure during the healing process is a no. And after the process, sunrays, generally, are no friends of the skin. Make sure to use a good face sunscreen!

• Test to know how your skin would react to derma rollers if you are a first-timer. You can do this by applying the device to a small area and observing.

Does Microneedling Hurt?

Yes, it does hurt! But, a little. You will feel some ‘ouch’ factor if you are the type that cannot stand such a light pain. And it could be more painful when the needles are longer.

When you complete the process, your skin would turn red because the skin has been stimulated. Nevertheless, the redness should not be confused with bleeding; bleeding means something has gone wrong.

How Often Should You Use A Derma Roller?

Do not be an addict for your skin will tell. The skin needs time to build and regenerate its cells so give it the time required to do its job.

We are not saying using derma rollers every week is a terribly bad idea – but we are not saying it is such a good idea either. In every situation, moderation helps to prevent excess and as well ensure enough.

If you use a derma roller daily, the result will not change. You are not even giving your skin so much time to recuperate and heal. After microneedling, it will take about forty days for collagen to stop building. Repeating the process daily means the last needling has not completed its purpose before you begin another.

However, it still depends on the length of the needles you want to use daily. For instance, 0.2-0.25 mm needles can be done daily, as the daily process will stimulate the skin for better absorption of skin care products.

When you are to use 0.5 mm needles, do it every three weeks. This will trigger the production of collagen in the skin, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and fight aging. The development of collagen is a long process of about forty days and should be given enough time to complete.

For 0.75 mm needles, do microneedling every four weeks. On the other hand, using 1.5-2.5 mm needles dermarolling should be done every six or eight weeks.

Generally, your skin reaction and what you want from dermarolling would influence how often you should use a derma roller. Use it three times a week if the needle is short, and you want better health benefits.

Microneedling Aftercare: Products to Use After Dermarolling and Ones to Avoid

If it sounds good for you to apply, it might not be ‘good’ in the real sense. So, what do you do? Should you apply and wait?

That could be dangerous. So we present to you what products you should use after dermarolling and what not to use. Be attentive.

Before we get to what to and what not to use, we assume you have read our section on performing the process. And you read the tips we added. It is after reading – and following – the section above that this section is necessary.

What Products to Use

You should use good skin care products after dermarolling. This is because the skin absorbs more nutrients after dermarolling than usual. Would it not be wise to apply skin care products and let them absorb faster and help your skin in the long run? Below are some skin care ingredients and products we recommend using after at-home microneedling.

• Vitamin C and Hyaluronic Acid: They protect the skin from being infected and quicken healing. After the treatment, hyaluronic acid, and vitamin C would help the skin hydrate better.

• Antioxidant Serums: White Lotus brand of serums is good for they are made with natural and organic ingredients.

• Antibacterial Creams: They prevent infection.

• Moisturizers: You should hydrate your skin well after dermarolling – through this is a consistent process.

• Facial Masks: A cooling facial mask will reduce skin redness and inflammation and will just fine after the process.

• Anti-Wrinkling and Anti-Aging Serums: As the skin develops collagen and improves its freshness, they assist in such developments.

• Sunlight is no friend to the skin, as you know, so stay less under the sun for the healing process to complete; 72 hours is the recommended period.

• During the healing process, do not swim, run or perform any strenuous exercise that might cause sweating because sweating will disturb the healing process.

• Give 24 hours before you can return to your normal activities.

Microneedling Costs at the Salon

Microneedling is done in sessions, and each session would take up to five or more minutes. That means to complete the six to eight sessions necessary, you have to wait for 30 minutes or more. And as a rule of thumb, do at least four sessions – depending on your age – to get the best result.

But, how much would the process of microneedling cost? The cost of microneedling apparently depends on the location, as some can be higher than necessary. It also depends on which part of the skin and the size of the part you want to perform microneedling.

However, a session would cost between $100 and $700 in general. If you want to try it yourself at home, it would cost roughly one-third of the general price.